Ibn Isḥāq reports that Muṣʿab b. ʿUmayr later returned to Mecca. Some Muslims from the Anṣār, whose own people were the polytheists, came to Mecca together with the pilgrims. At a time when Allah wished to honor them, assist His Prophet, support the people of Islam and the faith of Islam, and bring humiliation upon shirk (associating partners with God) and the polytheists, these individuals agreed to meet the Messenger of God (peace be upon him) at al-ʿAqaba in the middle days of tashrīq (the days of ritual animal sacrifice).
According to what Maʿbad b. Kalb b. Mālik related to me, his brother ʿAbdullāh b. Kabʿa—who was the most knowledgeable among the Anṣār—was present at al-ʿAqaba, and their father Kaʿb, who pledged allegiance to the Messenger of God, said: "We set out from Medina with our people, who were polytheists, and the pilgrims. We performed prayer and understood the rulings of our religion. With us was Barāʾ b. Maʿrūr, our leader and elder. When we set out on the journey from Medina, Barāʾ b. Maʿrūr said to us:
'O people! I have come to a certain opinion and do not know whether you will agree with me.'
'What is your opinion?'
'I think I should pray facing the Kaʿba, not with my back to it.'
'By Allah, we have not heard that the Messenger of God (peace be upon him) prayed facing anywhere other than Jerusalem. We do not want to act contrary to him.'
'In truth, I will pray facing the Kaʿba.'
'But we will not do so.'
When the time for prayer came, we faced Jerusalem, but he faced the Kaʿba. We performed our prayers in this way. When we reached Mecca, we reproached him for what he had done, but he insisted on not facing anywhere other than the Kaʿba. When we arrived in Mecca, Barāʾ said to me:
'Nephew, take me to the Messenger of God so that I may ask him about what we did on this journey, for a doubt has entered my heart regarding this matter, since I saw that you opposed me.'
We began to ask about the Messenger of God’s whereabouts, as we did not know him and had never seen him before. We encountered a man from the Meccans and asked him about the Messenger of God. He asked us:
'Do you know him?'
'No.'
'Do you know his uncle, ʿAbbās b. ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib?'
'Yes.' (We knew ʿAbbās from before, as he would often come to us for trade.)
'When you enter the mosque, the man sitting next to ʿAbbās will be the Messenger of God.'
We entered the mosque and saw that ʿAbbās and the Messenger of God were sitting together. We greeted them and sat down. The Messenger of God asked ʿAbbās:
'O Abū Faḍl! Do you know these two men?'
'Yes. This is Barāʾ b. Maʿrūr, the leader of his people, and the other is Kaʿb b. Mālik.'
By Allah, I will never forget the Messenger of God’s (peace be upon him) words, "Is he a poet?" and his reply, "Yes." Barāʾ b. Maʿrūr then said to him:
'O Prophet of Allah! I set out on this journey, and Allah guided me to Islam. I thought it appropriate not to turn my back to this building, the Kaʿba, and so I prayed facing it. My companions opposed me in this matter, and thus a doubt entered my heart. O Messenger of God, what do you say about this?'
'You were upon a qibla (direction of prayer); if only you had remained steadfast upon it!'
Thereafter, Barāʾ began to pray facing the qibla to which the Messenger of God turned, that is, Jerusalem, and prayed with us in the same direction. According to his family’s claim, he continued to pray facing the Kaʿba until his death, but this is not the case; we know the matter better than they do. Kaʿb b. Mālik said: Then we went on pilgrimage and agreed to meet the Messenger of God at al-ʿAqaba during the days of the festival. On the night we had agreed to meet the Messenger of God, we completed the rites of pilgrimage. With us was ʿAbdullāh b. ʿAmr b. Ḥarām, Abū Jābir, one of our leaders. We took him with us, concealing our situation from the polytheists of our people who were with us. We spoke to him and said:
'O Abū Jābir! You are one of our leaders and our elders. Because of your current state, we wish to save you from being fuel for Hell tomorrow.'
After saying this, we invited him to Islam and informed him that the Messenger of God had agreed to meet us at al-ʿAqaba. He became Muslim and was present with us at al-ʿAqaba, serving as our representative.
Imām Aḥmad b. Ḥanbal narrates from Jābir: The Messenger of God (peace be upon him) remained in Mecca for ten years. During this time, he would approach the Arab tribes attending the fairs of ʿUkāẓ, Majanna, and others, saying:
'Is there anyone who will give me shelter and help me fulfill the task Allah has given me, in return for which he will attain Paradise?' Yet no one would come forward and say, 'We will give you shelter and help you.'
Even when a person set out from his home in Yemen or from any tribe of the Banū Muḍar to attend the fair, his people would warn him:
'You are going to Mecca. Be careful that the man of Quraysh does not deceive you and lead you astray.' When the Messenger of God (peace be upon him) passed among them, they would point him out to one another.
Finally, Allah sent us to him from Medina, and we accepted faith in him. So much so that when a person from a family believed in him and listened to the verses (āyāt) of the Qur'an from him, upon returning home, his entire household would follow him and become Muslim. Thus, there was not a single house left in which there was not a Muslim or in which Islam was not openly professed. Then we gathered and consulted one another, saying:
'How long will the Prophet of Allah remain in the mountains of Mecca, being driven from place to place?'
Thereupon, seventy of us set out and agreed to meet him at Shiʿb al-ʿAqaba in Mecca. We gathered there, arriving one or two at a time, and said to him:
'O Messenger of God, upon what shall we pledge allegiance to you?'
'You will obey me in all circumstances, provide for my needs in hardship and ease, enjoin good and forbid evil, and fear no blame in speaking the truth. You will protect me as you protect your own families. In return, I promise you Paradise.'
Then, the youngest among us after me, Asʿad b. Zurāra, stood up, took his hand, and said:
'O people of Medina! Listen to me. You know that we have come to this man because we believe he is the Prophet of Allah. If we take him with us, we will have declared enmity to all the Arabs. Many of our men will be killed for this cause, and the survivors will be targets for the sword. If you are able to endure this, then take him, and Allah will reward you. But if you fear for yourselves and cannot bear it, then say so now, so that we do not take him. For it is better to speak plainly and not begin than to start and then abandon the matter.'
His companions said to him:
'O Asʿad, leave this. By Allah, we will not abandon this pledge, and no one will take it from us.' Then we stood and pledged allegiance to the Messenger of God one by one. He stated the conditions to us, and in return, he promised us Paradise.
Imām Aḥmad b. Ḥanbal narrates from Jābir: While the Messenger of God (peace be upon him) was taking the pledge from us, ʿAbbās held his hand. When the pledge was complete, the Messenger of God said: 'I have taken and I have given.'
Al-Bazzār narrates from Jābir b. ʿAbdullāh: The Messenger of God (peace be upon him) said to the representatives (naqībs) of the Anṣār:
'Will you shelter and protect me?'
'Yes, but what is there for us in return?'
'Paradise!'
Ibn Isḥāq also narrates from Kaʿb b. Mālik: That night, we slept among our people and our belongings. When a third of the night had passed, we went to the agreed place at al-ʿAqaba, gathering secretly in the mountain pass like birds leaving their nests. We were seventy-three men, and with us were two women: Nasība bint Kaʿb, Umm ʿAmmāra of the Banū Māzin b. Najjār, and Asmāʾ bint ʿAmr b. ʿAdī b. Nabī, known as Umm Manīʿ, of the Banū Salama.
We gathered in the pass, waiting for the Messenger of God. He arrived with his uncle ʿAbbās b. ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib, who was still upon the religion of his people but wished to be present and ensure his nephew’s safety. When he sat down, ʿAbbās was the first to speak, saying:
'O people of Khazraj! (At that time, the Arabs addressed both the Aws and Khazraj tribes of the Anṣār as Khazraj.) As you know, Muḥammad is one of us, and we have protected him from our people. He is honored and secure among his people and in his land. He does not wish to join anyone but you. If you are sure you can fulfill what you have promised him and protect him against his opponents, then I have nothing to say. But if you think you will abandon him after taking him with you, then leave him now, for he is honored and strong among his people and in his land.'
We replied:
'We have heard what you said. Speak, O Messenger of God, and take from us whatever pledge you wish for yourself and your Lord.'
The Messenger of God (peace be upon him) spoke, recited the Qur'an, and invited to Allah, encouraging people toward Islam. Then he said:
'I pledge with you that you will protect me as you protect your women and children.'
Barāʾ b. Maʿrūr took his hand and said:
'Yes, by the One Who sent you with the truth, we will protect you as we protect our women. O Messenger of God, pledge with us, for by Allah, we are people of war, and this ability has been inherited from our ancestors.' While Barāʾ was speaking with the Messenger of God, Abū'l-Haytham b. al-Tayyihān interjected, saying:
'O Messenger of God, there are ties between us and some men (i.e., the Jews). If we sever these ties, and then Allah grants you power, will you leave us and return to your people?'
The Messenger of God (peace be upon him) smiled and said:
'No, rather... Your blood is my blood, your sanctuary is my sanctuary. I am of you and you are of me. I will fight those you fight and make peace with those you make peace with.' Kaʿb b. Mālik said: The Messenger of God (peace be upon him) then said:
'Appoint twelve representatives from among yourselves to act over your people.' The Khazraj appointed nine, and the Aws three.
Ibn Isḥāq lists these representatives as: Abū Umāma Asʿad b. Zurāra, Saʿd b. Rabīʿ, ʿAbdullāh b. Rawāḥa, Rāfiʿ b. Mālik, Barāʾ b. Maʿrūr, ʿAbdullāh b. ʿAmr b. Ḥarām, ʿUbāda b. Ṣāmit, Saʿd b. ʿUbāda, and Mundhir b. ʿAmr (these are the nine of Khazraj); and from the Aws: Usayd b. Ḥuḍayr, Saʿd b. Khaythama, and Rufāʿa b. ʿAbd al-Mundhir (in al-Istiʿāb: "Zubayr").
Ibn Hishām says that the scholars mention Abū'l-Haytham b. al-Tayyihān in place of Rufāʿa, and this is also found in the narration of Yūnus from Ibn Isḥāq. Suhaylī and Ibn al-Athīr also adopt this view.
Ibn Hishām further cites as evidence a poem by Kaʿb b. Mālik regarding these twelve representatives, mentioning their names and qualities, and noting that Abū'l-Haytham is mentioned but not Rufāʿa, and that Saʿd b. Muʿādh is described but was not among the representatives present that night.
Yaʿqūb b. Sufyān narrates from Mālik that on the night of al-ʿAqaba, the Anṣār numbered seventy, with twelve representatives—nine from Khazraj and three from Aws. According to an Anṣārī informant, that night Jibrīl (Gabriel) indicated to the Messenger of God which men to choose as representatives, and among those chosen was Usayd b. Ḥuḍayr.
Ibn Isḥāq, narrating from ʿAbdullāh b. Abī Bakr, relates that the Messenger of God (peace be upon him) said to the representatives:
'You are guarantors for your people, just as the disciples (ḥawāriyyūn) were guarantors for ʿĪsā b. Maryam. I am a guarantor for my people.'
'Yes,' they replied.
According to ʿĀṣim b. ʿUmar b. Qatāda, when the people gathered to pledge allegiance to the Messenger of God, ʿAbbās b. ʿUbāda b. Naḍla al-Anṣārī (brother of Banū Sālim b. ʿAwf) said:
'O people of Khazraj! Do you know why you are pledging allegiance to this man?'
'Yes,' they replied.
'You are pledging to fight against all people, red and black. If you think you will abandon him when your wealth is diminished and your nobles are killed, then do so now. By Allah, if you do so, it will be a loss in this world and the next. But if you are steadfast, even if your wealth is lost and your nobles are killed, then hold to him, for by Allah, this is the good of this world and the next.'
They replied:
'We will hold to him, even if our wealth is lost and our nobles are killed. O Messenger of God, if we remain true to this, what is there for us?' The Messenger of God replied: 'Paradise.' 'Then give us your hand.' He gave his hand, and they pledged allegiance to him.
ʿĀṣim b. ʿUmar b. Qatāda said: By Allah, ʿAbbās said this only to strengthen the covenant given to the Messenger of God.
According to ʿAbdullāh b. Abī Bakr, he said this to postpone the pledge to another night, hoping that ʿAbdullāh b. Ubayy b. Salūl, the leader of the Khazraj, would come and thus the matter would be more certain. Allah knows best which of these is correct.
Ibn Isḥāq states that, according to the Banū Najjār, the first to take the hand of the Messenger of God and pledge allegiance was Abū Umāma Asʿad b. Zurāra. According to the Banū ʿAbd al-Ashhal, it was Abū'l-Haytham b. al-Tayyihān. According to Maʿbad b. Kaʿb, Kaʿb b. Mālik said: The first to take the hand of the Messenger of God for the pledge was Barāʾ b. Maʿrūr, after which the rest pledged allegiance.
In "Usd al-Ghāba," Ibn al-Athīr says that, according to the Banū Salama, the first to pledge that night was Kaʿb b. Mālik.
In the Ṣaḥīḥs of al-Bukhārī and Muslim, it is narrated that Kaʿb b. Mālik said, regarding his absence from the expedition of Tabūk: "I was present with the Messenger of God on the night of al-ʿAqaba when we pledged allegiance to Islam. Though the people consider Badr to be of greater renown, I would not prefer to have been present at Badr in place of the night of al-ʿAqaba."
Al-Bayhaqī narrates from ʿĀmir al-Shaʿbī: The Messenger of God (peace be upon him) went to the group of seventy Anṣār under the tree at al-ʿAqaba with his uncle ʿAbbās. When he reached them, he said:
'Let your spokesman speak, and let him not prolong the speech, for the spies of the polytheists are seeking you. If they find you here, they will harm you.'
The spokesman of the Anṣār, Abū Umāma, said:
'O Muḥammad! Ask for whatever you wish for your Lord, then for yourself, and then tell us what reward Allah will give us and you if we do this.' The Prophet replied:
'What I ask of you for my Lord is that you worship Him and do not associate anything with Him. What I ask for myself and my companions is that you shelter us, help us, and protect us as you protect yourselves.'
'If we do this, what is there for us?'
'Paradise is for you.'
'Then we will grant you what you ask.'
Al-Bayhaqī narrates from Rufāʿa: A group of wine skins arrived from somewhere. ʿUbāda b. Ṣāmit came and pierced them, saying:
'We pledged to the Messenger of God (peace be upon him) in exchange for Paradise that we would not be negligent in obeying religious commands, that we would spend in both hardship and ease, enjoin good and forbid evil, not refrain from speaking the truth out of fear of the blame of any critic, and that when the Prophet came to Medina, we would protect him as we protect ourselves and our families. These are the things upon which we pledged allegiance.'
Yūnus narrates from Ibn Isḥāq that ʿUbāda b. Ṣāmit said:
'We pledged to the Prophet (peace be upon him) to fulfill the commands given to us—whether we were in hardship or ease, whether the command was light or heavy, to fight, to obey, to prefer others over ourselves, not to seek leadership when it was not our due, and to fear no one in speaking the truth, wherever we might be.'
Ibn Isḥāq narrates from Kaʿb b. Mālik: When we pledged allegiance to the Messenger of God (peace be upon him), Satan cried out from the top of al-ʿAqaba with a voice more penetrating than any I had ever heard:
'O people of the houses! Do you not know about this much-reviled man, accompanied by apostates from their religion? They have gathered to fight you.'
The Messenger of God said:
'This is the Ezabb of al-ʿAqaba, the son of Ezyab. (This is one of the names of Satan.) Do you hear, O enemy of Allah? When the time comes, I will deal with you.'
Then the Messenger of God (peace be upon him) turned to us and said:
'Return to your belongings.' Then ʿAbbās b. ʿUbāda b. Naḍla said to him:
'By Allah Who sent you with the truth, O Messenger of God, if you wish, tomorrow we will fill the surroundings of Mina with our swords.' The Messenger of God (peace be upon him) replied:
'We have not been commanded to do so. Rather, return to your travel gear.'
So we returned to our beds and slept until morning.
In the morning, a group of Quraysh leaders came to us, entered our quarters, and said:
'O people of Khazraj, we have heard that you have come to this companion of ours, that you wish to take him away from us, and that you have pledged to fight us with him. By Allah, if war breaks out, we will be more angry with you than with any other tribe.'
Thereupon, the polytheists among our people who were present denied any such thing and swore by Allah that they knew nothing of it. They spoke the truth, for they did not know of the pledge. We looked at one another. Then the Quraysh departed. Among them was Ḥārith b. Hishām b. al-Mughīra al-Makhzūmī, who wore a new pair of shoes. I said, as if including those with me:
'O Abū Jābir! You are our leader; can you not get a pair of shoes like those of the young man from Quraysh?'
Ḥārith heard this, took off his shoes, and gave them to me, saying, 'You should wear them.' Abū Jābir said:
'Do not do that; by Allah, you have angered the young man. Return his shoes to him.' I said:
'By Allah, I will not return them. By Allah, this is a good opportunity. If my luck holds, I will take them from him, even by force.'
Ibn Isḥāq narrates from ʿAbdullāh b. Abī Bakr that they went to ʿAbdullāh b. Ubayy b. Salūl and repeated what Kaʿb had said. He replied:
'By Allah, this is a great matter. I do not think my people would conceal such a blessing from me, and I do not know of any such thing.' After this conversation, they left him. The people departed from Mina to Mecca. The Quraysh began to investigate the matter and talk about it. When they realized it was too late, they began to search for those who had pledged. At al-Azāhir, they caught up with Saʿd b. ʿUbāda and Mundhir b. ʿAmr (Mundhir was the brother of Banū Sāʿida b. Kaʿb b. Khazraj; both were representatives). They could not catch Mundhir, but they seized Saʿd, tied his hands to his neck with the strap of his baggage, and dragged him, beating and pulling him by his forelock, into Mecca. He had thick hair.
Saʿd said: By Allah, I was in their hands when I saw a group of Quraysh approaching. Among them was a handsome, fair-skinned, tall, and pleasant man. I thought to myself: If there is any good among this group, it is this man. But when he approached, he raised his hand and struck me hard. I thought to myself: No, by Allah, there is no good left among them. By Allah, I was in their hands, being dragged along, when a man took pity on me and said, 'Woe to you! Do you not have a pact or covenant with any man of Quraysh?' I replied, 'Yes, I have a trade guarantee with Jubayr b. Muṭʿim b. ʿAdī b. Nawfal b. ʿAbd Manāf, and I used to protect them from oppression in my land. I also have a trade protection pact with Ḥārith b. Ḥarb b. Umayya b. ʿAbd Shams b. ʿAbd Manāf.' He said, 'Woe to you! Mention those two men and explain your pact with them.'
I then explained the situation to the Quraysh. The man went to them and found them by the Kaʿba in the mosque, saying, 'A man from Khazraj is being beaten in the valley and is calling for you. He says he has a protection pact with you.' They asked, 'Who is he?' He replied, 'Saʿd b. ʿUbāda.' They said, 'Indeed, by Allah, he gives us trade protection and protects us from oppression in his land.' They then rescued Saʿd from their hands, and he left. The man who struck Saʿd was Suhayl b. ʿAmr, brother of Banū ʿĀmir b. Luʾayy. According to Ibn Hishām, the man who took pity on Saʿd was Abū'l-Bakhtarī b. Hishām. According to al-Bayhaqī, ʿĪsā b. Abī ʿĪsā b. Jubayr said: On the night of al-ʿAqaba, the Quraysh heard someone on Mount Abū Qubays say:
'If the two Saʿds become Muslim, Muḥammad will no longer fear the opposition of his enemies in Mecca.'
In the morning, Abū Sufyān asked, 'Who are these two Saʿds? Are they Saʿd b. Bakr and Saʿd b. Huzaym?'
The Quraysh also heard, on the second night, someone call out from Mount Abū Qubays:
'O Saʿd of Aws, help! O Saʿd of Khazraj, you are the chief! Respond to the caller of guidance (hudā) as those who know respond. Ask Allah for Paradise, as the gnostics (ʿārifūn) ask. The reward Allah gives to one who seeks guidance (hudā) is the Gardens of Firdaws, where there are canopies.'
In the morning, Abū Sufyān said: 'By Allah, these two Saʿds are Saʿd b. Muʿādh and Saʿd b. ʿUbāda.'